Ohio Turnpike wants you to keep on truckin’ – on their toll road

Ever
since Ohio raised tolls for trucks on the state’s turnpike, truck
traffic has sunk on the turnpike and skyrocketed on smaller roads
as truckers find ways to avoid the fees.

Now,
because of complaints from towns near the toll road and falling
revenues, state officials want to find a way to bring the truckers
back to the turnpike, according to local media reports.

The
state is seeking federal money to pay for most of a study on how
to lure the trucks back, The Toledo Blade reported recently.
The total cost is estimated at a quarter million dollars.

Among
the options being considered – lowering tolls.

But
while the Turnpike Authority seeks money for its study and looks
at options, it’s also taking action. The authority’s Web site has
a “Trucker’s Page,” which touts the benefits of turnpike travel
to over-the-road drivers.

“The
trucking industry is a vital part of our nation's economy and a
crucial customer for the Ohio Turnpike,” the authority writes on
the Trucker’s Page. “We realize even more so in these tough economic
times that trucking companies are looking closely at expenses and
trying to cut costs whenever and wherever possible, but we believe
that using the Ohio Turnpike is advantageous for a number of reasons.”

The
page lists such advantages as safer roadways, frequent service plazas
with trucker-only facilities and discounts for frequent turnpike
users – although those are available only to those who spend at
least $1,000 a month in tolls.

According
to The Associated Press, the tolls were increased 82 percent
in 1995 to help pay for work on toll plazas.